maltratavsmaltratanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“maltrata” and “maltratan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,384
“maltrata” frequency rank
#42,555
“maltratan” frequency rank
82939
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maltrata maltratan
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de maltratar o de maltratarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de maltratar o de maltratarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maltrata and maltratan apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
maltrata
9 ch
maltratan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. maltrata ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a]) and maltratan ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “maltrata” sits inside “maltratan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maltrata is recorded at frequency rank #40,384, classified as averb, pronounced [mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a]. maltratan is at rank #42,555, tagged as averb, pronounced [mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 82939, this pair ranks #8,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of maltrata vs maltratan

Shared letters: almrt. Private to "maltrata": -. Private to "maltratan": n.

"maltrata" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "maltratan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maltrataamltrata · malltrata · malrtata · maltarta · maltraat · maltratta · maltrrata · maltrtaa
  • maltratanamltratan · malltratan · malrtatan · maltartan · maltraatn · maltratann · maltratna · maltrattan

Frequency comparison

maltrata#40,384
maltratan#42,555

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maltrata" and "maltratan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a] versus [mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "maltrata" or "maltratan"?
"maltrata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,384 in our Spanish list, against #42,555 for "maltratan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering maltrata vs maltratan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maltrata” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list